Give Me Coffee, or Give Me Death

by Hannah Wilson, intern

Local is always best. Luckily, in Baton Rouge there are more than several options for local coffee. In the past, we have posted about the best local coffee places in Baton Rouge, but those times they are a changin’, so we figured we’d update the list to showcase the new places, both opened and coming soon to Baton Rouge!

Magpie Downtown

333 Laurel Street

A honey latte and mini spinach quiche at Magpie Cafe Downtown

This calming atmosphere is the perfect blend of hip and soothing. You feel right at home with the pillows, natural lighting and the hardwood floors. Their menu offers offers not only muffins and other pastries but also sandwiches, soups, salads and pizzas that make it more than a coffee shop.

While this is nothing new for the fans of their Perkins Road location, the downtown location features a full bar and a walk up window. We tried their mini spinach quiches with our morning lattes and we couldn’t get enough!

Simple Joe

3057 Government Street

A cup of River Road Coffee and a side of bacon at Simple Joe

Simple Joe makes it simple. They stick to what they know and make it easy to order and enjoy. Their incorporation of local art and photography gives it the Ogden Park neighborhood feel that locals love. We decided to enjoy a side of bacon with our piping hot cup of joe!

La Divina Italian Cafe

3535 Perkins Road

An Affogato with Creme Brûlée Gelato at La Divina

Located right at the intersection of Perkins and Acadian, La Divina is an easy way to perk up your day. They have the go-to favorites, but they also have innovative drinks that are a little off the beaten path. Here, we tried an Affogato, an espresso with a scoop of La Divina’s amazing gelato in it. We picked the Creme Brûlée flavor and together it was magnifique! The decor of La Divina gives it a funky, eclectic vibe and whatever they’re cooking in that kitchen smells amazing.

Small Coffee Big Taste

on wheels

Good morning #BatonRouge ! At 1500 Main Street Baton Rouge, LA Today - Come on by! #SmallCoffeeBigTaste

A post shared by Small Coffee | Big Taste (@smallcoffeebigtaste) on Mar 3, 2017 at 5:43am PST

On a quest for better espresso in their travels two years ago, the owners of Small Coffee Big Taste decided to open up a coffee shop on wheels!

Coffee Bean Cafe

12177 Coursey Blvd

A Vanilla Cafe Latte at the Coffee Bean on Coursey

This was one of my favorite spots! The Coffee Bean had a wide variety of menu options, they even sell Girl Scout cookies! We got a Cafe Latte with a shot of vanilla, and it was the perfect amount of sweet. We enjoyed it on their lovely patio on a lovely Spring day!

Tredici Bakery

5078 Capitol Heights Ave

A simple cup of coffee, delicious macaron and patio vibes at Tredici Bakery
in the Capital Heights neighborhood of Baton Rouge

Celebrating its one year anniversary last November, Tredici Bakery is definitely a place to put on your radar! Nestled in the heart of Capital Heights, they have a plethora of baked goodies, we chose to try one of their many Macaroons. The Salted Caramel Macaron was a perfect pairing for their coffee!

Coming soon to Baton Rouge...

District Donuts

Towne Center

Progress Pose

A post shared by District Donuts.Sliders.Brew. (@districtdonuts) on Jan 28, 2017 at 3:21pm PST

This gourmet New Orleans favorite is expanding to the Red Stick! Their numerous donuts and coffees are great pairs no matter how you order it.

Rêve Coffee Roasters - White Star Market

4624 Government Street

A rendering of the Square 46 development that will house the White Star Market on White Star Market

This Lafayette legend is known for roasting their own phenomenal coffee. We’re so excited to have them to be neighbors with Gov’t Taco in White Star Market!

French Truck Coffee

2978 Government Street 

Woke up feeling blessed #frenchtruckcoffee #neworleans

A post shared by French Truck Coffee (@frenchtruck) on Mar 10, 2017 at 6:15am PST

The compact cafe is making it’s way to Baton Rouge! Opening in New Orleans in November of 2014, French Truck Coffee’s vision for cultivating a sense of community is evident in their close quarters. We cannot wait to see these guys set up shop in Baton Rouge!

Light House Coffee

set to open near LSU

Light House Coffee // Coming soon to Baton Rouge, La! . . . Follow us to hear about our vision, our story, and our journey to our grand opening. More to come! . . . #lighthousecoffeebr #comingsoon #specialtycoffee #thirdwavecoffee #batonrouge #batonrougesmallbusiness

A post shared by Light House Coffee (@lighthousecoffeebr) on Feb 28, 2017 at 6:41pm PST

With a mission to employ and help those in Baton Rouge who are refugees or displaced people, Amber and Steve Elworth are currently trying to raise money through to open Light House Coffee. Visit their Indiegogo page to learn more about the concept!

Indie Plate, Uprooted

by Sydney "Brown Nose" Blanchard

Peru Sharma is one half of the dynamic duo behind Indie Plate

Each month, our Uprooted series will highlight local chefs, restaurants, organizations, and farmers who are spearheading the farm-to-table and local foodways movements in South Louisiana. 

When working on his dissertation in agriculture supply chain management at LSU, Peru Sharma spotted a gap in the market that he became determined to fill.

“My thought was," Sharma said, "the Internet economy has hit sort of every single aspect of our life except food, except agriculture.”

While at LSU, Sharma met Ben Bartage at a house party. After discussing the business of basketball, the law student was impressed, and the two agreed to work together in some capacity after they graduated. 

Shreveport native Ben Bartage co-founded Indie Plate in 2013

“I’m the foodie in the partnership," Sharma said. "Ben is more the legal guide, the businessperson. We have very different mind sets.”

And those very different mindsets led them to conceptualize Indie Plate in 2013, a grocery delivery service that brings farm fresh foods to local consumers.

Sharma had been working at the Red Stick Farmer's Market in Baton Rouge each weekend, and he began to think there had to be an easier way for millennials to access fresh, locally grown produce without having to wake up early on Saturday mornings. 

Thus, Indie Plate was born. 

What began as a form emailed out to a few customers became a website launched in December 2013 where customers can virtually add locally produced proteins, fruits, veggies, and baked goods to their shopping carts and have them delivered to their homes (as of now, they deliver to Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Denham Springs, Port Allen, Central, Brusly, Addis, Gonzales, Zachary, Maurepas, and St. Amant). Indie Plate even offers customizable farm baskets, meal kits, and pantry items from local producers.

Farm-to-table is but a click away. 

Sharma and Bartage have spent the last few years cultivating relationships with local farmers, which hasn't always been easy. Sharma said when Indie Plate first started, farmers didn't understand the concept of what they were trying to do. 

Sharma said it wasn't easy to earn the farmers' respect. It took showing up to the Red Stick Farmer's Market each weekend at 6 a.m., showing face, and enduring a joke or two aimed at his ethnicity (he's originally from India). 

“Farmers appreciate hustle," Sharma said.

What they do is give farmers larger markets. The 80 to 90 farms they work with now span from central Louisiana to Alabama, so Mississippi farmers can now sell produce fairly easily to Louisianans. 

Asian Glazed Black Drum using local ingredients from Indie Plate

"Most farms we work with have increased their business 10 to 20 percent," Sharma said. "Some farms have doubled their business through exposure they’ve gotten through Indie Plate.”

According to Sharma, 90 percent of Indie Plate's business is consumer business. But beyond supplying groceries to consumers, Indie Plate works with a select number of local restaurants to provide them with the freshest, highest quality local ingredients. But not every restaurant is on board.

“Baton Rouge restaurants, they’re more price-conscious, not very quality conscious," Sharma said. "But there are some restaurants like Magpie, Nino’s, City Pork, that really care about the quality of the food.”

Their plan is to continue to expand their business by employing drivers in order to shorten delivery times for consumers as well as work with more restaurants to get them on the farm-to-table train.

“The whole thing feels very organic," Sharma said. "It’s not corporate, it’s not big or large.”

Right now, the Indie Plate CEOs make all the deliveries themselves. 

“We went from a farmer’s market to a grocery store, and we’re continuing to expand.”